Engendering Gentleness

“Daddy, Daddy,” I yelled as I tugged on my father’s arm and beckoned him in the direction of the garage. “Pursy’s got a rat in her box”!

“Shhh, Joyce Ann! Leave her alone for now,” Daddy instructed and quietly explained that what looked like a rat was, in fact, a tiny kitten. Pursy was giving birth.

Later that afternoon Daddy gave in to my five-year-old pleas to pick up and hold one of the tiny animals.

“Be gentle,” he cautioned as he explained the fragility of the newborns.

Looking back, I recall how tender I tried to be as I cared for those kittens. God cares for us in much the same gentle way. He holds us in the palm of His hands. He comforts us in our times of need. He protects us from bumps and bruises.

In The Fruit of the Spirit devotional (©2017 by BroadStreet Publishing), the writer refers to the gentleness of God’s whispers:

Imagine a gentle white snow, or waves lapping up on the shoreline. The Bible tells us that his voice is like the sound of many waters, but our modern world is a flash bang world. Headlines scream for us, phones buzz for attention, and there is a constant calling to “look here!”

If we do take moments to break away from the busyness of the world around us, we can hear His gentle whisper. We can sense His presence in the stillness of a snowfall, the power of the ocean waves, the beauty of His creation that surrounds us.

“Gentleness is a surrender,” the writer of this devotion also attests. Thinking of the eighth fruit of the spirit as a type of surrender, I understand more fully the need to let go and let the Holy Spirit grow and nurture this fruit within me.

My mother exuded the spirit of gentleness. She was soft spoken, kind and tenderhearted, and showed compassion to others. Even when she disciplined my sister and me as children, she did so with gentleness. She always explained why we were being punished or why we needed to obey the rules. Her surrender to gentleness made her a much-loved disciple of Christ.

“A gentle answer turns away wrath.”—Proverbs 15:1

When Ebenezer Scrooge surrendered his “bah humbug” attitude, he became a kind-hearted, generous man who helped others see the blessings around them.

When Anne Shirley went to live with siblings Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert, Matthew’s surrender to gentleness encouraged Marilla to provide a home for the young orphan. His gentle demeanor not only welcomed a needy child, but his spirit also encouraged his gruff sister to adopt a kinder, gentler attitude.

In her picture book Hi, I’m Strawbeary (©2001 by Crossway Books and illustrated by Ben Mahan), Melody Carlson describes a bear whose once ungentle nature caused her to lose friends. After receiving the gift from the Holy Spirit, however, Strawbeary makes new friends and shares the warmth of God’s gentle love.

And then one day God sent a gift.

He gave my heart a kindly lift.

When in my heart He did abide,

He placed His GENTLENESS inside.

George the Gentle Giant (©1962 by Golden Press) also shares how a spirit of gentleness can lead to an enriched life. This classic book, written by Adelaide Holl and illustrated by Frank Daniel, describes a giant who has almost everything his heart desires, but he is lonely. He has no friends because the children in his village fear his giant-sized voice. Over time, however, George provides the children with picnics and songs and swimming pools, and they realize he’s not so scary after all.

            The children looked at George.

            They saw his friendly smile.

            They could tell that he was a gentle giant.

            They were not afraid, and nobody ran away.

In the end George the Gentle Giant finds happiness because he has shared his gentle spirit. In return, his own life is enriched because he has enriched others.

As the prophet Isaiah describes in Chapter 40, verse 11, our Sovereign Lord carries these characteristics of gentleness: “He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young.”

Christ encourages us to come to Him to experience that gentleness. “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”—Matthew 11:28-29

So what imagery comes to your mind when you think of the term gentleness: a mewling kitten, the music of Don Williams, a shepherd carrying a lost lamb, the touch of your mother’s hand, a sleeping baby in a manger on a starry night?

Take a moment to breathe in that spirit of gentleness as you reflect on how that fruit is growing within you today. Imagine being a child and holding a newborn kitten. Remind yourself that you are a child of God. This very moment He is holding you in the palm of His gentle hand.

“Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.”—Philippians 4:5

“I hope you will grow up gentle and good, and never learn bad ways; do your work with a good will, lift your feet up well when you trot, and never bite or kick even in play.”—Anna Sewell

 “Let gentleness my strong enforcement be.”—William Shakespeare

 1 Corinthians 4:21; 1 Thessalonians 2:7; Proverbs 15:4; Psalm 23